DJ ASHBA: 'Walking Away From GUNS N' ROSES Was The Hardest Decision I've Ever Had To Make In My Life'

May 17, 2016

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current SIXX: A.M. guitarist says that he "walking away" from GN'R after a six-year stint with the group was "the hardest decision" he has ever had to make in his life. He tells Music Radar: "I loved sharing the stage with Axl [Rose] and the guys. Axl put together such an incredible bunch of musicians, and I was proud to be part of that."

He continues: "I'll always be thankful for Axl believing in me. But it's not my band and it never will be. I was performing songs written before I got there. I had a blast doing it, and I will cherish it. But we did a 19-day sold-out run on the SIXX:A.M. 'Modern Vintage' tour and it was that tour of playing my own songs — songs that came from my soul — and seeing how they connected to the fanbase, I could not put that feeling into words, and I realized that I needed to follow my heart."

Ashba recently said that Rose wanted him to be a part of a partial reunion of GN'R's classic lineup but he "just didn't feel like it was [his] place."

Ashba, who joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck and stayed in the band until last July, told Metal Insider: "At that point, it's best I go do what I'm really good at doing. It's kind of the best of both worlds. I get to have my favorite band back and I get to go play in my favorite band again. It's a win-win."

Ashba issued a statement in July 2015 saying that he was leaving GUNS N' ROSES "to dedicate myself to my band SIXX: A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me."

Ashba said earlier in his statement that working with GUNS N' ROSES was "the most incredible journey I could have possibly imagined."

Find more on Guns n' roses

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).